Man Asks Judge To Shield Confession From Child Abuse Officials

A Du Page County man who told drug abuse counselors that he engaged in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl is asking a judge to keep the information from state child abuse authorities.

Judge John Teschner on Monday impounded the case and ordered no discussion of it to be made in public, according to Ronald Sadowski, the patient`s attorney.

The man, who is being treated at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Center of Central Du Page Hospital, Winfield, filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court last week seeking to prevent his counselor and doctors from relaying information to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about his sexual activities with the minor.

Last Thursday, the counselor and doctors met with the patient and told him they were going to relay the information to authorities. He then filed the lawsuit. The hospital declined to comment on Monday.

The man says his discussions with his counselor, Patricia Towers, and two doctors, Dr. Patrick Kennely and Dr. Vincent Sackett, were privileged conversations and cannot be discussed publicly.

The man, whose name is listed as ``John Doe`` and whose age is listed as over 18, said that after his counselor and doctors learned about the relationship, they told him that under Illinois` Abused and Neglected Children Act, they had to notify state authorities about the activity.

The Abused and Neglected Children Act has been in existence for more than 20 years, according to a state spokesman. The act requires certain professionals, including doctors, dentists, health-care workers and hospital and school employees, to call a state hot line and report cases of abuse.

``We`ve had doctors sue, claiming that they would be violating a patient`s confidentiality (if they reported conversations to the state) and in most cases the state has won,`` said David Schneidman, spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services. ``Usually this type of information comes from the professionals that have worked with children. I don`t know of any case where the alleged incident came from the person who may have committed it.``